


The Twelve Lives of Aaron Burr

by Truly_Happy



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gang World, Gen, Kid Fic, Loosely based on the twelve lives of Samuel Hawley, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Poor Aaron Burr, Poor Life Choices, Slow Burn, really good book
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-03-10 18:52:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13507671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Truly_Happy/pseuds/Truly_Happy
Summary: "The day that baby Theo is born is the day that Aaron Burr takes his pistol and tucks it away in a box in the back of his bedroom closet."The world disagrees.





	The Twelve Lives of Aaron Burr

The day that baby Theo is born is the day that Aaron Burr takes his pistol and tucks it away in a box in the back of his bedroom closet. Theo is never to know the things he’s done for the life they have now. Theodosia watches him, their newborn daughter held close to her chest, sleeping peacefully.  “I’m glad.” She tells him, pecking him on the cheek when he comes back to sit by her. 

“I am too.” Aaron says, automatically. It’s finally over. No one will bother them now. They’ve covered their tracks well. Bought a nice house in the woods, a couple miles off from the nearest town. No one will bother them. That’s what Aaron tells himself. “No one will bother us, we’re safe.” But still, there’s a small thought at the back of his mind- what if someone does bother them? What if Hamilton or Jefferson shows up at their doorstep and asks him to join again. Take up arms against the Redcoats and throw himself back into a war he swore that he’d never again be a part of. Maybe even the General, and aaron’s heart is in his throat when he thinks about it. 

No, General Washington had never really cared for him. At least, not enough so that he might bother with coming to him, trying to persuade him to come back. 

 

Baby Theo is so delightfully tiny. She looks up at him with big, brown eyes, tiny fingers reaching towards him. He holds her like she is fragile, something he might break. He’s so scared of hurting her. ‘You didn’t feel bad about hurting them’ he thinks bitterly to himself. He still remembers their faces- a man and a woman, confused and scared. It had been a simple job- collect a debt, owed from years of gambling on the husband’s part. The wife had a gun. In the end Aaron got shot twice- once in the leg, and once in the shoulder. Hamilton, ever trigger-happy had put a bullet in both of their heads. George hadn’t been happy that night. “You were supposed to collect a debt.” He had stressed the word debt, like they were idiots. “Not kill them.” They sat, while he rambled, Hamilton with that stupidly reckless grin on his face that Burr hated (but loved, for some, strange reason) “You are dismissed.” George had told them, and Burr limped off to the infirmary, where Eliza, Hamilton’s new wife, whose father had more than enough reputation on the underground to keep her safe, above all else, while simultaneously giving Hamilton a leg up in the chain of command. Burr tried not to be jealous, of Eliza, for marrying Hamilton, and of Hamilton for being more in the General’s favour than he ever was. 

 

Theo learns to walk, on the red carpet that Theodosia bought from the thrift store in town for five dollars because it had fleas. Somehow, she had managed to get rid of them. How,  Aaron was never sure. “Go to daddy Theo!” She cheers on, from her position on the good chair. She’s been getting sick more frequently. She’s afraid to be around Theo some days. “I’m just so scared I’ll get her sick, and she’s too little to fight it off-” She had once confided to him. 

Theo gurgles happily, looking between Aaron and Theodosia, her tiny legs barely holding her up. She toddles towards Aaron. He picks her up before she call fall flat on her face. She giggles happily, grabbing on his nose. 

“Hello Theo.” He says, softly “Fancy seeing you here.” She giggles. He and Theodosia exchange glances. Theodosia is smiling, her mouth hidden behind clasped fingers, like it’s some great secret. God he loves her. Loves them. 

Theo had told him she was pregnant almost two years after they first started seeing each other. “Is it mine?” He had asked, a little taken aback. She rolled her eyes. 

“My husband has been sterile for the last five years.” She says sarcastically. “Whose else would it be?” 

After that, they started plotting. Theo’s husband was a strange old man that she had never really felt any obligation to. Aaron had only joined The Rebels because he had nowhere else to go. They amassed their funds- sixty thousand dollars between the two of them. Enough to skip town and move halfway across the country where no one knew them. They moved to a small town in Nebraska. Bought a small one-bedroom cottage by the lake, a short drive from town. 

 

“Da!” Theo cheers, one day. Aaron and Theodosia stop, cold. They had been discussing the news over early morning coffee. Same things as always. Taxes, the president, etc. 

“What did you say?” Theodosia asked their daughter in a honey-sweet tone. 

“Da!” Theo shouted, again. “Da da da da-” Theodosia and aaron exchanged twin looks of pride. 

“It bothers me, sometimes.” Theodosia told him, late one night as Theo slept in her crib a few feet away. There was only one bedroom for the three of them. Not like Aaron minded, he preferred being close to his family. Less risk that something might happen to them if he wasn’t looking. 

“What does?” He asked, setting down his book, looking at her. 

“That she seems to like you more.” Theodosia replied. “It’s stupid, I know, but-” 

“No it’s not.” Aaron interrupted. “I know if it were me I’d be nervous about it too.” Theodosia smiles at him. 

“What did I do to deserve you?” She asks. 

“What did I ever do to deserve you?” He retorts, kissing her on the cheek. “I love you.” He whispers. She smiles at him. 

“I know.”

 

Alexander Hamilton shows up at their house for the first time just as they’re eating breakfast. Theo is two, sitting in her highchair, picking up cheerios as she tells Theodosia all about her dream. Aaron is making pancakes, while Theodosia eats her toast, scanning over the paper. She’s heading off to work at the boutique in town. She’s always had an eye for fashion, and Aaron will never understand it. Then there’s a knock on the door. Aaron and Theodosia freeze. No one ever visits their house. No one ever knocks on the door. “Maybe it’s the mailman?” Aaron says hopefully. The mailman has never knocked on the door. He’s only ever delivered the mail, and gone. There’s no one to send them anything. 

“I’ll get the door.” Theodosia says darkly. The unspoken ‘get the gun’ rings in Aaron’s head. 

“Theo, sweetie, do you want to play a game?” He asks. Theo perks up. 

“Yeah!” She cheers. “Game! Game! Game!” 

“Come on sweetie.” He picks her up, and takes her to their shared room. He digs around in the closet. It takes him a moment to find it- a shoebox. There are three rounds in it, the gun is fully loaded. “Okay Theo.” He says gently. “You need to be very, very quiet, no matter what happens. Okay?” She nods. He lowers her into the closet. 

Theo is an unusual child. She’s never been afraid of the dark, and they’ve practiced for this exact scenario dozens of times. 

When he gets into the kitchen, Alexander Hamilton is sipping coffee at the kitchen table. The gun has been tucked secrely into his waistband. “Hey Aaron!” Hamilton says, giving a little wave. 

“Hamilton.” He says coldly, exchanging a look with Theodosia. Alex frowns. 

“Hey, Aaron, I’m sorry, okay? It was a long time ago, and I’ll admit I made some mistakes-” 

“You cheated on me with Eliza Schuyler.” Aaron interrupts. 

“More importantly, why are you here?” Theodosia cuts in, glaring at Aaron. ‘Not the time’ she mouths discreetly at him. 

“Well, The General was pretty pissed when you two skipped town, and he assigned me to bring you back.” Hamilton says, all with that stupidly reckless grin that Aaron remembers falling for back when he was just some stupid high school dropout with no family. He and Theodosia exchange glances again. 

“We’re not going back.” Aaron tells him stonily. Alexander shrugs. 

“Okay.” He says dismissively. 

“Just... okay?” Theodosia asks, disbelief in her tone. 

“What did you want?” Alexander asks. “I’m not going to blow up your house because you don’t want to go.” Alexander chigs the last of his coffee, and stands. Just as he’s about to exit the house he looks over his shoulder at Aaron and Theodosia. “And one way or another you will come with me.” He says. 

Theodosia gets sick a year later. 

 

“Mommy’s just a little bit sick.” Aaron explained to Theo. Theodosia was in the hospital. It takes all of Aaron’s will not to rush off an sit by her bedside forever. But no, he has to take care of baby Theo, and get to work every day. He works at the camping store in town. Kind of funny, since Aaron can’t stand camping. Theo goes off to the babysitter’s while he’s at work. 

“When’s she gonna come home?” Theo asks. 

“I don’t know sweetie.” aaron replies, eyes fixed firmly on the road. 

 

He gets the call just as he’s picking up Theo. “Are you Aaron Burr, sir?” A crisp, clean female voice asks him. 

“That depends on who’s asking.” He replies. 

“I work at Lewisburg Hospital. Your wife, Theodosia Bartow-Burr was declared dead at-” He doesn’t hear the rest. 

 

Alexander Hamilton shows up at their house for the second time two days after they bury Theodosia. Baby Theo is asleep in her bed, and Aaron can’t sleep. He stares blankly at the paper. There’s her obituary. Not much, really. As far as these people are concerned, before they came to town they didn’t exist. Aaron would almost prefer it that way. He can’t even say that much about where she was born, or when she was born, or else he might give them away more than they already are. There’s a quiet knock on the door. Burr stands, and moves towards the door. “Hey.” Alexander grins, when Aaron opens the door. He looks at Hamilton, surveying him from head to toe. Then he slams to door in Hamilton’s face, securing the lock. “Aw, Aaron, come on!” Alexander shouts. 

“Go away Alexander. Let me mourn in peace!” He shouts. 

“What if I told you that you and your kid will be left alone if you’ll just talk to me?” aaron freezes. He opens the door a crack, peering out. 

“Fine.” He says, fumbling with the lock, the door swings open. “Make it quick.” 

“George wants to pull one last job.” 

“What?” Aaron asks, slightly taken aback.

“One last job. With me, the Schuylers, Lafayette, Herc and a couple of others. Then we’ll leave you and Theo alone.” Aaron stops. Does he really want this? 

“What’s in it for me?” Aaron asks, pulling up a chair. 

“You and the kid get left alone, and you’ll get a cut of the money.” 

“What are we doing, and how much money is it?” 

“We’re scamming George King. And about twelve million. Split equally amongst all eleven-”

“Eleven?”

“Yeah. Me, Herc, Laf, John, George, Jefferson, Madison, the Schuylers and you. Anyways, split amongst all of us, it’s 1.9 million for each person.”

“I’ll have to think.” Aaron tells him nervously. Does he really want this? 

“I’ll give you two days.” Alex tells him diplomatically. 

Burr lays awake at night in bed, thinking. With that kind of money he can get Theo out of the country. With that kind of money he could take care of them both. At the very least finish high school, go to college and get a better job. Not have to share a room with his three year old daughter. Maybe buy new clothes once in a while. But what if it fails? What if they get caught? George King is a very influential man. He could put them all away for life. Is it really worth it?

 

“I’ll do it.” He tells Alexander, two days later when he comes for lunch. Alexander grins, that stupid, reckless grin that Burr once fell in love with back when he was a stupid kid with no family. 

“Excellent.”


End file.
